Contents of Nitrate and Nitrite in Menus Containing more than 350 g of Vegetables per Day

The contents of nitrate and nitrite in menus containing more than 350 g of vegetables per day were investigated. The amounts of vegetables in menu A developed by female students and menu B taken from a recipe book were 350 +/- 2 g and 457 +/- 77 g, respectively. The average content of the nitrate was 321.0 +/- 139.3 mg (104.2-636.9 mg) in menu A, and 245.7 +/- 90.7 mg (140.1-507.3 mg) in menu B. Sixteen and thirteen samples exceeded the ADI in menus A and B, respectively. This may be because menu A contained more raw vegetables than menu B (menu A; 120 58 g, menu B; 72 71 g). The contents of nitrite in menu A and B were 1.2 +/- 0.3 mg (0.7-1.8 mg) and 2.8 +/- 0.9 mg (1.3-4.6 mg), respectively, and 6 samples in menu B exceeded the ADI. Intake of 350 g of vegetables or more in a day may reguire careful consideration of selection, frequency of use and cooking method, especially for vegetables with high nitrate content. A questionnaire to female students showed that 80% or more of students recognized that vegetables containing high contents of nitrate, such as spinach and komatsuna, should be boiled before eating them.